State governments'' responsibility to improve conditions in jails: Centre

Satya Prakash

Tribunew News Service

New Delhi, July 30

Weeks after a judges' report indicted the Faridabad Jail and Observation Home for lack of proper infrastructure and pathetic condition in which inmates were lodged, the Centre on Monday told the top court that it's the responsibility of state government to deal with the issue.

A Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra had on July 13 ordered immediate measures to improve the condition in Faridabad Jail and Observation Home after a report by two judges highlighted poor infrastructure and pathetic conditions in which inmates lodged there were living. It had sought the assistance of Attorney general KK Venugopal in improving infrastructure for jails and courts to help speed up trial for those in jails for years.

On Monday, Venugopal told a Bench headed by the Chief Justice that the Centre could not do much beyond issuing advisories to states. He said security, sanitation, provision of other basic amenities, installation of CCTV cameras and video-conferencing needed attention.

Advocate Gaurav Agrawal, who is assisting the Bench as Amicus Curiae, submitted his report after an inspection of the Faridabad Jail and Observation Home.

"After Your Lordships order, the situation is improvingbut several issues remain to be addressedas many as hundred juveniles have been accommodated in a capacity meant for 30," Agrawal told the Bench, which asked him to prepare a consolidated report and posted the matter for hearing in first week of September.

The Bench had taken up the matter after a scathing report given by Justice AK Goel (since retired) and Justice UU Lalit after visiting the Faridabad District Jail. Justice Lalit and Justice Goel had visited the Faridabad Jail and the Observation Home on their own after being invited by the Haryana Legal Services Authority to a function earlier this year.

The two judges found there was lack of infrastructure and situation was pathetic as sanitary condition, quality of food and medical and health care was not up to the mark. The judges had then ordered the Faridabad District Judge to conduct a survey and prepare a report along with recommendations to improve the condition.